Orange groves take hit from Isaac

Published: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 6:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 6:57 p.m.

Hurricane Isaac's wind and water will put a dent in this year's citrus crop.

Orange groves in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes took a beating during the storm, but the most serious damage was sustained in Plaquemines, where groves were flooded, causing damage to trees that could last beyond this year's harvest, said Kurt Guidry, an economist with the LSU AgCenter.

In Terrebonne and Lafourche, Isaac's howling winds caused trees to drop their fruit and also caused damage to some trees, said Barton Joffrion, an extension agent with the LSU AgCenter. Trees were blown over, and some were left in standing water for days because of the rain.

Guidry estimated 10-20 percent of the crop was lost in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

According to a report from the LSU AgCenter prepared by Guidry, about 532 of the state's more than 800 acres of orange groves, about 64 percent, were impacted by Isaac.

“We had the best fruit set,” he said, with an enormous amount of bees around to provide pollination.

But Isaac wiped out about 25-40 percent of his crop, Gisclair said. The eye passed right over his citrus grove. Some of his satsuma trees were pushed over by the winds, which gusted up to 80 mph in some parts of Lafourche Parish.

Navel oranges, which are heavier, were knocked out of the trees, Gisclair said. Satsuma fruit fared better — the small oranges managed to stay on the trees.

Some of the fruits are also splitting open on the branch. Oranges will sometimes split on the branch when the tree is stressed by weather conditions.

It's been a tough haul for local oranges. For the past two winters, deep freezes have caused problems for the crop.

Because the crop was so abundant this year, Gisclair said he won't take a drastic hit to his business from the fruit loss.

“It's going to sort of keep us close to where we were. We're going to take a hit but not a drastic hit,” Gisclair said.

He said he's expecting to harvest in a few weeks.

While Terrebonne and Lafourche are home to some citrus farms, about 60-70 percent of the state's citrus groves are in Plaquemines Parish, where Isaac's damage was more significant, Guidry said. That means overall the state crop took a big hit.

And Isaac's impact could carry over into next year if trees die because of flooding or suffer significant enough wind damage to hamper their fruit production.

But where does that leave satsuma lovers?

Joffrion said the damage locally was enough to hurt some farmers' bottom line, but there is enough fruit to avoid a shortage.

“There will be fruit, and it's going to be good fruit,” Joffrion said.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

<p>Hurricane Isaac's wind and water will put a dent in this year's citrus crop.</p><p>Orange groves in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes took a beating during the storm, but the most serious damage was sustained in Plaquemines, where groves were flooded, causing damage to trees that could last beyond this year's harvest, said Kurt Guidry, an economist with the LSU AgCenter.</p><p>In Terrebonne and Lafourche, Isaac's howling winds caused trees to drop their fruit and also caused damage to some trees, said Barton Joffrion, an extension agent with the LSU AgCenter. Trees were blown over, and some were left in standing water for days because of the rain.</p><p>Guidry estimated 10-20 percent of the crop was lost in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.</p><p>According to a report from the LSU AgCenter prepared by Guidry, about 532 of the state's more than 800 acres of orange groves, about 64 percent, were impacted by Isaac. </p><p>Damage tallied so far could reach $2.1 million, a 39 percent loss in sales.</p><p>The state's citrus industry brings in about $5.4 million annually, according to the report.</p><p>Louisiana navel oranges and satsumas, a baseball-shaped mandarin orange, are locally grown in many family orchards and sold through grocery stores, farmers markets and roadside stands.</p><p>State Rep. Truck Gisclair, D-Larose, owns Bayou Portuguese Citrus Farms in Larose.</p><p>He said this year was set to be a bumper crop before the storm.</p><p>“We had the best fruit set,” he said, with an enormous amount of bees around to provide pollination.</p><p>But Isaac wiped out about 25-40 percent of his crop, Gisclair said. The eye passed right over his citrus grove. Some of his satsuma trees were pushed over by the winds, which gusted up to 80 mph in some parts of Lafourche Parish. </p><p>Navel oranges, which are heavier, were knocked out of the trees, Gisclair said. Satsuma fruit fared better — the small oranges managed to stay on the trees.</p><p>Some of the fruits are also splitting open on the branch. Oranges will sometimes split on the branch when the tree is stressed by weather conditions.</p><p>It's been a tough haul for local oranges. For the past two winters, deep freezes have caused problems for the crop.</p><p>Because the crop was so abundant this year, Gisclair said he won't take a drastic hit to his business from the fruit loss.</p><p>“It's going to sort of keep us close to where we were. We're going to take a hit but not a drastic hit,” Gisclair said.</p><p>He said he's expecting to harvest in a few weeks.</p><p>While Terrebonne and Lafourche are home to some citrus farms, about 60-70 percent of the state's citrus groves are in Plaquemines Parish, where Isaac's damage was more significant, Guidry said. That means overall the state crop took a big hit.</p><p>And Isaac's impact could carry over into next year if trees die because of flooding or suffer significant enough wind damage to hamper their fruit production.</p><p>But where does that leave satsuma lovers?</p><p>Joffrion said the damage locally was enough to hurt some farmers' bottom line, but there is enough fruit to avoid a shortage.</p><p>“There will be fruit, and it's going to be good fruit,” Joffrion said.</p><p>Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.</p>